Be Remarkable

SimonB's picture
Is having that one great idea the answer? So many of us wish we could find that one idea that will set us free, and yet that is not the answer.

image:aussiegirl

Seth Godin

Get good at creating ideas
If finding that one idea is not the answer, we need to start getting good at creating and finding ideas. There are no great ideas, there are no new ideas – only great implementations of ideas.

If you were to look at the creation process of any entity, from a product to a business, you would notice that the initial idea plays only a small role in the overall process. Yes, the idea was a factor in its success but there have been many great inventions inspired by an old idea.

The light bulb, now synonymous with ideas, went through many incarnations before it became popular.

Ask anyone who invented the light bulb and they will probably respond - Thomas Edison. Although he is one of histories most popular names he never actually invented anything, but rather adapted previous inventions and commercialized them. Humphry Davy created the first incandescent light by passing the current through a thin strip of platinum in 1802. It was Edison's research lab that experimented with different filaments to create a longer lasting bulb about 75 years later.

Innovation or sheer persistence
Marketing guru Seth Godin believes the hardest part of idea creation is all the work that comes after that initial eureka moment. You need to get good at creating ideas, "the more often you create and share ideas, the better you get at it", says Seth.

The key to any new idea is in its execution. Having a vague idea of some new product or business is just the beginning – all the hard work is still to come. So don't sit on that idea, set it free. Talk about it and get people excited about it. It still has a long way to go before it finds its feet and begins to run.

Be worth making a remark about
Whatever you come up with make sure your idea is remarkable – worth making a remark about. The key to the success of the idea is that it will catch the ideavirus and go viral. According to Seth, the riskiest thing you can do now is be safe, the safe thing to do is to be at the fringes. Don't disregard any bad or bizarre ideas, these are probably the ones that others have also rejected because they were too hard or too risky.

Don't be boring.

Be remarkable...

Great article, Simon! Seth Godin's comment about the danger of "playing it safe" reminds me of a story I read about Walt Disney. Whenever Disney took an idea to his board of directors, there were always a few sets of eyes rolling and people saying it couldn't be done. But Disney never went ahead with an idea unless EVERY BOARD MEMBER WAS AGAINST IT.

That's right. If any of his board members had no problem with the idea, Disney figured it wasn't a big enough challenge to be worth his time and energy. Moral of the story: Never be afraid to stand up for your idea when everyone else is against it. An alarm should go off in your head whenever everyone agrees with you!

Submitted by JimR (not verified) on 8 May, 2008 - 13:12.
Don't be Afraid

Each and everyone of us are capable of doing great things. Some are just afraid to speak out and let it all out. Afraid that their idea will fail. Some have problems with implementation like you said. I say if you think that you have a great idea then you should do it. If you fail, use it to make your idea better or come up with new ones. This reminds me of what artists always say whenever somebody asks them tips on how to improve their drawing skills. The trick is to not be afraid of mistakes. Those mistakes will usually turn into a great idea.

Submitted by Louie (not verified) on 8 May, 2008 - 15:51.
Keep on Striving!

Great encouragement post! Playing it safe is the most risky!

Submitted by MarketingDeviant (not verified) on 8 May, 2008 - 17:07.
SimonB's picture
Remarkable & Risky

@Jim - wow, that is risky. I'm not sure I would have the courage to do something that EVERYBODY was telling me was wrong. I suppose it comes down to having a vision and believing it enough to back yourself.

@Louie - I agree failure is one of the biggest hurdles to overcome. I like your analogy of an artists mistake becoming a great idea.

@MarketingDeviant - Absolutely. I guess in general you have to take a risk in everything you do if you want to push through the boundaries of the mundane.

Submitted by SimonB on 10 May, 2008 - 00:41.
ideas

Just remember that sometimes it takes 10,000 bad ideas to get one good idea.

Submitted by Ben (not verified) on 10 May, 2008 - 21:13.

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